The Manager of Manitoba Hog Grading says the Prairie Livestock Expo Pork Quality Competition allows the pork sector to showcase the product it provides to the consumer.
The Prairie Livestock Expo Pork Quality Competition, slated for December 12th in Winnipeg, allows the pork sector to showcase the product it produces while supporting Manitoba food banks and charities.
Jason Care, the Manager of Manitoba Hog Grading and one of the Pork Quality Competition judges says the criteria for the competition is a reflection of what the pork processing plants want to supply their customers.
The judging criteria we have set out, we look at actual grading data which we use in the plants. We base it off a market hog, what they would call a perfect marketable hog. It’s a measurement of back fat, a measurement of loin muscle mass, they take into consideration the belly and the muscles groups that are in it with the fat balance that you have. We look at the colour of the meat after it has been processed. We also look at the loin size and marbling on the loins as well.
Basically the competition and the judging criteria has been rolled into a fold so that the entries are what they would say is a premium market hog that you would sell is what they’re trying to match. It’s a very finite criteria with specifics, so they want to match that to the quality of pork that we are shipping to the plants which ends up on the plates.
~ Jason Care, Manitoba Hog Grading
Care notes hog operations are allowed to enter one or two market hogs and completed entry forms must be received by Manitoba Pork at its office in Winnipeg by tomorrow. Entry forms can be downloaded from the Prairie Livestock Expo web site at prairielivestockexpo.ca.
